


Forever Connected

by LoudestWhisper



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Soulmates, Taang - Freeform, kummi/taang, soulmate au but it's not an au because it's practically canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:14:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25200709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoudestWhisper/pseuds/LoudestWhisper
Summary: As the current Avatar, Aang is aware that he is spiritually tied to all the ones that came before him. After a horrifying experience, he begins to wonder just how deep connections can be and if some bonds were destined to be made. (This story is based on the Kummi/Taang theory so please go check that out if you haven’t yet.
Relationships: Aang/Toph Beifong
Comments: 9
Kudos: 83





	Forever Connected

Aang liked being around Toph.

He truly did.

But there were times where he would feel a pang of something heavy (Regret? Disappointment? Fear?) when he looked upon her. Such instances would never last long. They’d exist for a few seconds, a full minute at best. Then, everything would return to normalcy. 

The thing about these moments is that they would occur anytime; during earthbending training, battling an enemy, or just hanging out. Initially, he assumed those feelings were only recognizable to him. But then he noticed something. Whenever those weighing notions plagued him, her facial expression would morph. It would hold notes of something that he could not quite distinguish (Worry? Confusion? Dread?)

Yet, again, those moments were never long and so, neither he nor she spoke them into reality, into a conversation. Besides, Toph was never the one to engage in such serious talk. They’d return to whatever activity they were previously doing and that was that. And so the years went on and many things changed (Friends to crushes to lovers) while others stayed the same (Comforting. Freeing. Grounding.) 

Which was never a problem until one day.

The autumn sun beat upon the grassy cliff, as well as Toph and Aang who were casually stretched out among the flora. Words were exchanged, though nothing more than small chatter. It wasn’t troublesome or awkward in the slightest. Simply being in each other’s company was enough. It was a hobby that was there since the day they met. He’d often glance at her from the corner of his eye and quietly marvel at her. Her dark hair sprawled across the earth, her face, while she folded her hands behind her head to use as elevation. She would typically notice when he did this because he had a habit of subconsiously tilting his head (ever so slightly, but still enough for her seismic sense to pick up on). It never bothered her.

On this particular fall afternoon, Aang had his face towards the sky and his eyes closed. A blade of hay hung from his mouth as he took in the warmth of the sun’s rays. The gentle breeze that grazed his face carried the scent of the season. All was still and quiet. 

A voice broke the silence.

“Aang.” 

With a sigh, he tossed out the piece of straw and lazily shifted to his side so he was facing her, propping his head up. 

His eyes opened and he was greeted with an unexpecting (yet somehow not unfamiliar) sight. She was there. But not really. Her hair turned into a rich brown that hung freely. The once green garments were now deep blue, heavy, and long. They were not fit for such a warm day. It was then he noticed it wasn’t warm anymore. The once earthy field changed into a bitter tundra. The cool breeze became biting winds. It was as if he was transported to another place, another time, another life. 

When he looked upon her face, he saw nothing. Literally nothing. 

His fingers reached out, yet could not connect. That uneasy feeling he experienced so many times returned. It rapidly grew in intensity. Anguish. Absolute, utter anguish filled his body and overflowed. He was shaking and tried to focus on the voice that was hers (the version of her he knew well), though very far away. 

She was shouting for him. By all spirits, however, it almost sounded as if she was calling another name; a name he once had many years ago. 

Eventually, he found himself back in current time. Toph had her hands placed firmly on his shoulders and was shaking him fiercely. Panic was stamped on her face. He noticed her grasp was the only thing keeping him from stumbling over the cliff, a position he must’ve accidentally gotten himself into during his hallucinated hysteria. She was bombarding him with questions (What’s wrong? What are you doing? Who the hell is Ummi?) at rapid speed. 

He didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Despite the fact that he was no longer in the frozen hell, he was still filled with pure terror. For the moment, he had to get away, to go to a place to calm down, because he simply couldn’t stand being there another second. It was too painful.

“I..I just-I have to go. I’m sorry...I’m so, so sorry.” he muttered before dashing off to Appa and flying off. Her calls for him echoed and he tried to drown them out.

\-----------------------

The following day was equally bright and warm as the previous. Toph sat at the edge of the bluff, her feet dangling. She fiddled with some grass in one hand while using the other to rest her head. Typically, she wasn’t the kind of person to worry. Being down-to-earth was one of her best qualities. Yet, yesterday’s events still weighed heavy on her mind. Aang had always been a bit unusual, at least to her. Being both an airbender and the avatar made it easy to understand why. His strongly contrasting personality occasionally caused issues between the two of them. At the same time, it drew them together. They balanced each other. 

“Er, hey.” 

“Son of a-” she gasped, harshly jolted out of her thoughts. “Ugh, Aang, don’t scare me like that. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

He chuckled and plopped down beside her. “Heh, sorry ‘bout that. Have you been waiting long?”

“Mm, nah. I’ve only been here for like...half an hour? Forty-five minutes at most.”

“Aww, you mean you didn’t stay all night? And here I thought you loved me.” he said, his voice dripping with obvious faux disappointment.

He was rewarded with a playful punch on the shoulder. Following that was “Shut it, Twinkle Toes.” 

“Ow! Haha, okay, fine. Jeez.”

He rubbed his arm and for a moment, there was silence. It wasn’t anything like the day before, however, or like any other time for that matter. It felt awkward now; heavy. Part of him considered just forgetting the whole ordeal. It would be much easier to simply pretend that it never happened and that everything would be back to normal. Although, she would never put up with that. All those years of her drilling it into him to be upfront, to say what was on his mind, left a lasting impact. He took in a deep breath and exhaled.

“Look, about yesterday..I didn’t mean to freak you out-”

“Aang, you scared me.” 

A pang of guilt flowed through him. “Er, right. I’m sorry about that. I’m also sorry for just flying off without explaining anything to you.”

“As you should be.”

“See, the thing is...I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it then because,” he scratched the back of his head. “I wasn’t exactly sure what was wrong, to be honest.” 

She raised a brow and flicked some grass on him. “Well, that sure makes a whole lotta sense.”

“But I did some meditating and, well, have you ever heard of Kuruk?” 

“Wasn’t he, like, the avatar before Kyoshi or somethin’?”

“Yeah! He immediately followed Yangchen in the avatar timeline and originated from the Northern Water Tribe!”

Toph sighed and laid back on the greenery. “Well, thanks for the history lesson, I guess. But how does any of that relate to your little meltdown?

“Okay, first of all, it wasn’t a meltdown. Second, I’ll get to that part. Try being patient,” He heard her mumble something incoherent, then chose not to acknowledge it. Patience wasn’t exactly her virtue and she loathed being told what to do. He cleared his throat and continued. “Kuruk was, uhh, not exactly a good avatar. Not like evil or anything. He just...didn’t do much. Yangchen was apparently so good at creating peace among the four nations that he assumed he didn’t have to carry out any of his avatar duties. He didn’t uplift the voices of the needy. He didn’t protect people from harm. He didn’t promote harmony. Nothing.”

“Sure sounds like a real loser, huh?” 

Aang crossed his legs and looked up towards the sky. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Anyway, he fell in love with Ummi, a woman from the Southern Water Tribe. They spent a lot of time together. She meant everything to him and they later got married.”

“Oh, so THAT’S who you were yelling for yesterday.”

“I...I was?”

“Yep. Don’t ya remember?”

“Alright, there was a lot going on in that moment. So if I forget some details, I’m frankly fine with it.”

Toph shrugged. “Understandable.”

There was a long pause. Though Toph had her feet still hanging over the edge, she could sense a deep sadness within him. Before she could say anything, however, he went on. 

“Then...something terrible happened,” he swallowed. “As some sort of twisted punishment for Kuruk’s inactiveness, Koh flat-out abducted Ummi on her wedding night and stole her face. Which ultimately...well-”

“Killed her?”

“Yeah.”

Neither of them spoke for a moment, allowing the heaviness of the story to set in. Toph wasn’t one to feel affected by such tragic tales. This was different though. Not only because it clearly had a strong impact on Aang, but also because it felt familiar. How that was so wasn’t exactly understandable to her; not yet that is. Some part of her was able to not just imagine what Ummi went through, but practically feel it as well. (Shock. Fear. Despair.) 

“And yesterday, when we were hanging out, I think I sort of...re-lived that experience,” He turned his head towards her. “Because when I looked at you, I didn’t see you. I mean I did, but not the you that I know. Instead, I saw Ummi. Faceless,” He bit his lip and averted his gaze. “Dead.” The last word weighed greatly and hung in the air. 

“Wait...what do you mean when you say that you saw me but not really?”

He sighed. “It’s kinda complicated. Like, I’ll tell you, but you have to swear you won’t think I’m weird.”

There was a snicker. “Too late for that, Twinkle Toes. But go on.”

“I think...as wild as it seems...you may be a reincarnation of Ummi.”

It was preposterous. That is, it should’ve been. An expected reaction would have involved a hardy laugh or perhaps a jab to the arm; a “Haha. Aren’t you funny? Now stop being dumb.” most likely following. This wasn’t what happened, though. Her lack of surprise almost concerned her. All she requested was an explanation.

And she received one.

So he told her about everything. He told her about seeing her in the magical swamp and that he initially believed she would be someone he would meet, yet perhaps he already did in another life. (“Time is an illusion and so is death.”) Then he spoke of the anxiety-ridden nightmare he had shortly before battling Ozai. In it, she was not like Katara or Sokka. Their demise was swift and intense. Hers wasn’t. She was not consumed by fire or earth. Rather, she was cold, faceless. (“We see visions of people we lost, people we’ve loved, folks we think are gone. They’re not.”) Aang told her how, like Kuruk, he was passive. What made it different is that it was a habit he kicked, thanks to her help. She gave him what he needed; what Kuruk needed many, many years ago. 

“But this probably sounds like a bunch of nonsense to you, doesn’t it?” he mumbled, eyes cast downward.

“No.”

“No?”

“Maybe a few years ago, if you told me all this, I would’ve not believed you.”

“And probably laugh at me.”

“Oh, I’d definitely laugh at you,” she said while stretching her arms and sitting up. “That was then, though. This is now. Since we met, things that I never thought could happen, happened. I’ve long since given up on the concept of impossible. You’ve opened me up to so many possibilities and plausibilities…and stop crying.” She reached over and tenderly swiped her thumb across his cheek. 

“Hey, it’s your fault.” Aang half-chuckled, half-sobbed. 

“Pfft, my apologies. Next time I’ll just tell you to shut up, deal?”

“Deal.”

He looked at her, the setting sun casting an ethereal glow on her being. Golden rays beamed upon her, upon the scenery. The gentle breeze carried the scent of sea salt. In this moment, everything was serene. His hand reached out to her face, connected. She leaned into the touch. (Safe. Secure. Found) Being intentional, careful, he softly pressed his lips against hers. (Home.)

“I love you.” he whispered as their mouths parted.

“Love ya, too, crybaby.”


End file.
